Gaming device having variable speed of play

ABSTRACT

This concept is directed to gaming devices configured to vary the speed of game play, as well as method of operating gaming devices to vary the speed of play. In some examples of the this concept, a gaming device may be configured to include a game initiating button that when pressed by a player triggers a game processor to ascertain and display a first game outcome, determine if the first game outcome is a winning outcome, and automatically ascertain and display a second game outcome if the first game outcome is not a winning outcome. If the first game outcome is a winning outcome the gaming device may pause to allow the player to appreciate the win before retriggering the processor to ascertain and display subsequent gaming event outcomes, or the gaming device may wait to receive further player input.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This disclosure relates generally to gaming devices, and moreparticularly to gaming devices configured to vary the speed of gameplay, as well as methods of operating gaming devices to vary the speedof game play.

BACKGROUND

Gambling sessions typically include various winning gaming results andnumerous losing gaming results that are each displayed on a gamingdevice. Since a portion of the winning gaming results are much larger invalue than the wagers placed to reach those results, and because theoverall payback percentage of the gaming device must be less than 100%to pay for the administrative costs of operating the gaming device,these gambling sessions usually include many more losing gaming resultsthan winning gaming results.

As a consequence of this dichotomy, a great portion of time on a gamingdevice is spent watching reels spin (or poker hands played) with aresulting loss. For most players, the excitement and gratification ofgambling is tied to achieving wins. While these players will endurecertain periods of loss, players will often press the spin and/or betbuttons as quickly as possible to pass through the losses to get toanother win. While it is in a casinos interest to provide as muchexcitement and entertainment as possible to its players, the casino mustalso limit the number of wins in order to cover costs and return aprofit, which effectively limits how many wins can be paid to a player.

In all of today's games, losses take nearly as long as wins to display.While there is sometimes player anticipation tied to showing severalreels with a particular symbol on a payline (or showing multiple cardsneeded for a large win in video poker) where the gaming resultultimately ends in a loss, most of the time it is quickly evident to theplayer that they have little or no chance of receiving a winningoutcome. Once the player realizes that the current game will result in aloss, the player either has to wait for the remaining reels to come torest or can sometimes “slam” the rest of the reels to a stop by hittingthe spin button again before waiting for the game to reset and beingable to initiate another game. Thus, with conventional gaming devices,players often spend a least half of their gambling sessions goingthrough losing gaming results.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a functional block diagram that illustrates a gaming deviceaccording to embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1B is an isometric view of the gaming device illustrated in FIG.1A.

FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C are detail diagrams of exemplary types of gamingdevices according to embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 3A is a functional block diagram of networked gaming devicesaccording to embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 3B is a flow diagram of a method of operating a gaming deviceaccording to embodiments of the invention.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are detail diagrams of a gaming device according toembodiments of the invention.

FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 are flow diagrams of exemplary methods of operating agaming device according to embodiments of the invention.

FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C are flow diagrams of exemplary methods of handlinglow credit amounts during a win-seeking feature according to embodimentsof the invention.

FIG. 9 is a detail diagram of a gaming device according to embodimentsof the invention.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of a method of operating a gaming deviceaccording to embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 11 is a detail diagram of a gaming device according to embodimentsof the invention.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram of a method of operating a gaming deviceaccording to embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 13 is a detail diagram of a gaming device according to embodimentsof the invention.

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram of a method of operating a gaming deviceaccording to embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 15 is a detail diagram of a video poker gaming device according toembodiments of the invention.

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram of a method of operating a video poker gamingdevice according to embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate example gaming devices according toembodiments of the invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a gaming device 10 is an electronic gamingmachine. Although an electronic gaming machine or “slot” machine isillustrated, various other types of devices may be used to wagermonetarily based credits on a game of chance in accordance withprinciples of the invention. The term “electronic gaming device” ismeant to include various devices such as electro-mechanicalspinning-reel type slot machines, video slot machines, and video pokermachines, for instance. Other gaming devices may include computer-basedgaming machines, wireless gaming devices, multi-player gaming stations,modified personal electronic gaming devices (such as cell phones),personal computers, server-based gaming terminals, and other similardevices. Although embodiments of the invention will work with all of thegaming types mentioned, for ease of illustration the present embodimentswill be described in reference to the electronic gaming machine 10 shownin FIGS. 1A and 1B.

The gaming device 10 includes a cabinet 15 housing components to operatethe gaming device 10. The cabinet 15 may include a gaming display 20, abase portion 13, a top box 18, and a player interface panel 30. Thegaming display 20 may include mechanical spinning reels (FIG. 2A), avideo display (FIGS. 2B and 2C), or a combination of both spinning reelsand a video display (not shown). The gaming cabinet 15 may also includea credit meter 27 and a coin-in or bet meter 28. The credit meter 27 mayindicate the total number of credits remaining on the gaming device 10that are eligible to be wagered. In some embodiments, the credit meter27 may reflect a monetary unit, such as dollars. However, it is oftenpreferable to have the credit meter 27 reflect a number of ‘credits,’rather than a monetary unit. The bet meter 28 may indicate the amount ofcredits to be wagered on a particular game. Thus, for each game, theplayer transfers the amount that he or she wants to wager from thecredit meter 27 to the bet meter 28. In some embodiments, various othermeters may be present, such as meters reflecting amounts won, amountspaid, or the like. In embodiments where the gaming display 20 is a videomonitor, the information indicated on the credit meters may be shown onthe gaming display itself 20 (FIG. 2B).

The base portion 13 may include a lighted panel 14, a coin return (notshown), and a gaming handle 12 operable on a partially rotating pivotjoint 11. The game handle 12 is traditionally included on mechanicalspinning-reel games, where the handle may be pulled toward a player toinitiate the spinning of reels 22 after placement of a wager. The topbox 18 may include a lighted panel 17, a video display (such as an LCDmonitor), a mechanical bonus device (not shown), and a candle lightindicator 19. The player interface panel 30 may include various devicesso that a player can interact with the gaming device 10.

The player interface panel 30 may include one or more game buttons 32that can be actuated by the player to cause the gaming device 10 toperform a specific action. For example, some of the game buttons 32 maycause the gaming device 10 to bet a credit to be wagered during the nextgame, change the number of lines being played on a multi-line game, cashout the credits remaining on the gaming device (as indicated on thecredit meter 27), or request assistance from casino personnel, such asby lighting the candle 19. In addition, the player interface panel 30may include one or more game actuating buttons 33. The game actuatingbuttons 33 may initiate a game with a pre-specified amount of credits.On some gaming devices 10 a “Max Bet” game actuating button 33 may beincluded that places the maximum credit wager on a game and initiatesthe game. The player interface panel 30 may further include a billacceptor 37 and a ticket printer 38. The bill acceptor 37 may accept andvalidate paper money or previously printed tickets with a creditbalance. The ticket printer 38 may print out tickets reflecting thebalance of the credits that remain on the gaming device 10 when a playercashes out by pressing one of the game buttons 32 programmed to cause a‘cashout.’ These tickets may be inserted into other gaming machines orredeemed at a cashier station or kiosk for cash.

The gaming device 10 may also include one or more speakers 26 totransmit auditory information or sounds to the player. The auditoryinformation may include specific sounds associated with particularevents that occur during game play on the gaming device 10. For example,a particularly festive sound may be played during a large win or when abonus is triggered. The speakers 26 may also transmit “attract” soundsto entice nearby players when the game is not currently being played.

The gaming device 10 may further include a secondary display 25. Thissecondary display 25 may be a vacuum fluorescent display (VFD), a liquidcrystal display (LCD), a cathode ray tube (CRT), a plasma screen, or thelike. The secondary display 25 may show any combination of primary gameinformation and ancillary information to the player. For example, thesecondary display 25 may show player tracking information, secondarybonus information, advertisements, or player selectable game options.

The gaming device 10 may include a separate information window (notshown) dedicated to supplying any combination of information related toprimary game play, secondary bonus information, player trackinginformation, secondary bonus information, advertisements or playerselectable game options. This window may be fixed in size and locationor may have its size and location vary temporally as communication needschange. One example of such a resizable window is International GameTechnology's “service window”. Another example is Las Vegas GamingIncorporated's retrofit technology which allows information to be placedover areas of the game or the secondary display screen at various timesand in various situations.

The gaming device 10 includes a microprocessor 40 that controlsoperation of the gaming device 10. If the gaming device 10 is astandalone gaming device, the microprocessor 40 may control virtuallyall of the operations of the gaming devices and attached equipment, suchas operating game logic stored in memory (not shown) as firmware,controlling the display 20 to represent the outcome of a game,communicating with the other peripheral devices (such as the billacceptor 37), and orchestrating the lighting and sound emanating fromthe gaming device 10. In other embodiments where the gaming device 10 iscoupled to a network 50, as described below, the microprocessor 40 mayhave different tasks depending on the setup and function of the gamingdevice. For example, the microprocessor 40 may be responsible forrunning the base game of the gaming device and executing instructionsreceived over the network 50 from a bonus server or player trackingserver. In a server-based gaming setup, the microprocessor 40 may act asa terminal to execute instructions from a remote server that is runninggame play on the gaming device.

The microprocessor 40 may be coupled to a machine communicationinterface (MCI) 42 that connects the gaming device 10 to a gamingnetwork 50. The MCI 42 may be coupled to the microprocessor 40 through aserial connection, a parallel connection, an optical connection, or insome cases a wireless connection. The gaming device 10 may includememory 41 (MEM), such as a random access memory (RAM), coupled to themicroprocessor 40 and which can be used to store gaming information,such as storing total coin-in statistics about a present or past gamingsession, which can be communicated to a remote server or databasethrough the MCI 42. The MCI 42 may also facilitate communication betweenthe network 50 and the secondary display 25 or a player tracking unit 45housed in the gaming cabinet 15.

The player tracking unit 45 may include an identification device 46 andone or more buttons 47 associated with the player tracking unit 45. Theidentification device 46 serves to identify a player, by, for example,reading a player-tracking device, such as a player tracking card that isissued by the casino to individual players who choose to have such acard. The identification device 46 may instead, or additionally,identify players through other methods. Player tracking systems usingplayer tracking cards and card readers 46 are known in the art. Brieflysummarizing such a system, a player registers with the casino prior tocommencing gaming. The casino issues a unique player-tracking card tothe player and opens a corresponding player account that is stored on aserver or host computer, described below with reference to FIG. 3A. Theplayer account may include the player's name and mailing address andother information of interest to the casino in connection with marketingefforts. Prior to playing one of the gaming devices in the casino, theplayer inserts the player tracking card into the identification device46 thus permitting the casino to track player activity, such as amountswagered, credits won, and rate of play.

To induce the player to use the card and be an identified player, thecasino may award each player points proportional to the money or creditswagered by the player. Players typically accrue points at a rate relatedto the amount wagered, although other factors may cause the casino toaward the player various amounts. The points may be displayed on thesecondary display 25 or using other methods. In conventional playertracking systems, the player may take his or her card to a special deskin the casino where a casino employee scans the card to determine howmany accrued points are in the player's account. The player may redeempoints for selected merchandise, meals in casino restaurants, or thelike, which each have assigned point values. In some player trackingsystems, the player may use the secondary display 25 to access theirplayer tracking account, such as to check a total number of points,redeem points for various services, make changes to their account, ordownload promotional credits to the gaming device 10. In otherembodiments, the identification device 46 may read other identifyingcards (such as driver licenses, credit cards, etc.) to identify a playerand match them to a corresponding player tracking account. Although FIG.1A shows the player tracking unit 45 with a card reader as theidentification device 46, other embodiments may include a playertracking unit 45 with a biometric scanner, PIN code acceptor, or othermethods of identifying a player to pair the player with their playertracking account.

During typical play on a gaming device 10, a player plays a game byplacing a wager and then initiating a gaming session. The player mayinitially insert monetary bills or previously printed tickets with acredit value into the bill acceptor 37. The player may also put coinsinto a coin acceptor (not shown) or a credit, debit or casino accountcard into a card reader/authorizer (not shown). One of skill in the artwill readily see that this invention is useful with all gamblingdevices, regardless of the manner in which wager value-input isaccomplished.

The credit meter 27 displays the numeric credit value of the moneyinserted dependent on the denomination of the gaming device 10. That is,if the gaming device 10 is a nickel slot machine and a $20 bill insertedinto the bill acceptor 37, the credit meter will reflect 400 credits orone credit for each nickel of the inserted twenty dollars. For gamingdevices 10 that support multiple denominations, the credit meter 27 willreflect the amount of credits relative to the denomination selected.Thus, in the above example, if a penny denomination is selected afterthe $20 is inserted the credit meter will change from 400 credits to2000 credits.

A wager may be placed by pushing one or more of the game buttons 32,which may be reflected on the bet meter 28. That is, the player cangenerally depress a “bet one” button (one of the buttons on the playerinterface panel 30, such as 32), which transfers one credit from thecredit meter 27 to the bet meter 28. Each time the button 32 isdepressed an additional single credit transfers to the bet meter 28 upto a maximum bet that can be placed on a single play of the electronicgaming device 10. The gaming session may be initiated by pulling thegaming handle 12 or depressing the spin button 33. On some gamingdevices 10, a “max bet” button (another one of the buttons 32 on theplayer interface panel 30) may be depressed to wager the maximum numberof credits supported by the gaming device 10 and initiate a gamingsession.

If the gaming session does not result in any winning combination, theprocess of placing a wager may be repeated by the player. Alternatively,the player may cash out any remaining credits on the credit meter 27 bydepressing the “cash-out” button (another button 32 on the playerinterface panel 30), which causes the credits on the credit meter 27 tobe paid out in the form of a ticket through the ticket printer 38, ormay be paid out in the form of returning coins from a coin hopper (notshown) to a coin return tray.

If instead a winning combination (win) appears on the display 20, theaward corresponding to the winning combination is immediately applied tothe credit meter 27. For example, if the gaming device 10 is a slotmachine, a winning combination of symbols 23 may land on a playedpayline on reels 22. If any bonus games are initiated, the gaming device10 may enter into a bonus mode or simply award the player with a bonusamount of credits that are applied to the credit meter 27.

FIGS. 2A to 2C illustrate exemplary types of gaming devices according toembodiments of the invention. FIG. 2A illustrates an examplespinning-reel gaming machine 10A, FIG. 2B illustrates an example videoslot machine 10B, and FIG. 2C illustrates an example video poker machine10C.

Referring to FIG. 2A, a spinning-reel gaming machine 10A includes agaming display 20A having a plurality of mechanical spinning reels 22A.Typically, spinning-reel gaming machines 10A have three to five spinningreels 22A. Each of the spinning reels 22A has multiple symbols 23A thatmay be separated by blank areas on the spinning reels 22A, although thepresence of blank areas typically depends on the number of reels 22Apresent in the gaming device 10A and the number of different symbols 23Athat may appear on the spinning reels 22A. Each of the symbols 22A orblank areas makes up a “stop” on the spinning reel 22A where the reel22A comes to rest after a spin. Although the spinning reels 22A ofvarious games 10A may have various numbers of stops, many conventionalspinning-reel gaming devices 10A have reels 22A with twenty two stops.

During game play, the spinning reels 22A may be controlled by steppermotors (not shown) under the direction of the microprocessor 40 (FIG.1A). Thus, although the spinning-reel gaming device 10A has mechanicalbased spinning reels 22A, the movement of the reels themselves iselectronically controlled to spin and stop. This electronic control isadvantageous because it allows a virtual reel strip to be stored in thememory 41 of the gaming device 10A, where various “virtual stops” aremapped to each physical stop on the physical reel 22A. This mappingallows the gaming device 10A to establish greater awards and bonusesavailable to the player because of the increased number of possiblecombinations afforded by the virtual reel strips.

A gaming session on a spinning reel slot machine 10A typically includesthe player pressing the “bet-one” button (one of the game buttons 32A)to wager a desired number of credits followed by pulling the gaminghandle 12 (FIGS. 1A, 1B) or pressing the spin button 33A to spin thereels 22A. Alternatively, the player may simply press the “max-bet”button (another one of the game buttons 32A) to both wager the maximumnumber of credits permitted and initiate the spinning of the reels 22A.The spinning reels 22A may all stop at the same time or may individuallystop one after another (typically from left to right) to build playeranticipation. Because the display 20A usually cannot be physicallymodified, some spinning reel slot machines 10A include an electronicdisplay screen in the top box 18 (FIG. 1B), a mechanical bonus mechanismin the top box 18, or a secondary display 25 (FIG. 1A) to execute abonus.

Referring to FIG. 2B, a video gaming machine 10B may include a videodisplay 20B to display virtual spinning reels 22B and various othergaming information 21B. The video display 20B may be a CRT, LCD, plasmascreen, or the like. It is usually preferable that the video display 20Bbe a touchscreen to accept player input. A number of symbols 23A appearon each of the virtual spinning reels 22B. Although FIG. 2B shows fivevirtual spinning reels 22B, the flexibility of the video display 20Ballows for various reel 22B and game configurations. For example, somevideo slot games 10B spin reels for each individual symbol position (orstop) that appears on the video display 20B. That is, each symbolposition on the screen is independent of every other position during thegaming sessions. In these types of games, very large numbers of paylines or multiple super scatter pays can be utilized since similarsymbols could appear at every symbol position on the video display 20B.On the other hand, other video slot games 10B more closely resemble themechanical spinning reel games where symbols that are verticallyadjacent to each other are part of the same continuous virtual spinningreel 22B.

Because the virtual spinning reels 22B, by virtue of being computerimplemented, can have almost any number of stops on a reel strip, it ismuch easier to have a greater variety of displayed outcomes as comparedto spinning-reel slot machines 10A (FIG. 2A) that have a fixed number ofphysical stops on each spinning reel 22A.

With the possible increases in reel 22B numbers and configurations overthe mechanical gaming device 10A, video gaming devices 10B often havemultiple paylines 24 that may be played. By having more paylines 24available to play, the player may be more likely to have a winningcombination when the reels 22B stop and the gaming session ends.However, since the player typically must wager at least a minimum numberof credits to enable each payline 24 to be eligible for winning, theoverall odds of winning are not much different, if at all, than if theplayer is wagering only on a single payline. For example, in a five linegame, the player may bet one credit per payline 24 and be eligible forwinning symbol combinations that appear on any of the five playedpaylines 24. This gives a total of five credits wagered and fivepossible winning paylines 24. If, on the other hand, the player onlywagers one credit on one payline 24, but plays five gaming sessions, theodds of winning would be identical as above: five credits wagered andfive possible winning paylines 24.

Because the video display 20B can easily modify the image output by thevideo display 20B, bonuses, such as second screen bonuses are relativelyeasy to award on the video slot game 10B. That is, if a bonus istriggered during game play, the video display 20B may simply store theresulting screen shot in memory and display a bonus sequence on thevideo display 20B. After the bonus sequence is completed, the videodisplay 20B may then retrieve the previous screen shot and informationfrom memory, and re-display that image.

Also, as mentioned above, the video display 20B may allow various othergame information 21B to be displayed. For example, as shown in FIG. 2B,banner information may be displayed above the spinning reels 22B toinform the player, perhaps, which symbol combination is needed totrigger a bonus. Also, instead of providing a separate credit meter 27(FIG. 1A) and bet meter 28, the same information can instead bedisplayed on the video display 20B. In addition, “soft buttons” 29B suchas a “spin” button or “help/see pays” button may be built using thetouch screen video display 20B. Such customization and ease of changingthe image shown on the display 20B adds to the flexibility of the game10B.

Even with the improved flexibility afforded by the video display 20B,several physical buttons 32B and 33B are usually provided on video slotmachines 10B. These buttons may include game buttons 32B that allow aplayer to choose the number of paylines 24 he or she would like to playand the number of credits wagered on each payline 24. In addition, a maxbet button (one of the game buttons 32B) allows a player to place amaximum credit wager on the maximum number of available paylines 24 andinitiate a gaming session. A repeat bet or spin button 33B may also beused to initiate each gaming session when the max bet button is notused.

Referring to FIG. 2C, a video poker gaming device 10C may include avideo display 20C that is physically similar to the video display 20Bshown in FIG. 2B. The video display 20C may show a poker hand of fivecards 23C and various other player information 21C including a paytablefor various winning hands, as well as a plurality of player selectablesoft buttons 29C. The video display 20C may present a poker hand of fivecards 23C and various other player information 21C including a number ofplayer selectable soft (touch-screen) buttons 29C and a paytable forvarious winning hands. Although the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3ACshows only one hand of poker on the video display 20C, various othervideo poker machines 10C may show several poker hands (multi-handpoker). Typically, video poker machines 10C play “draw” poker in which aplayer is dealt a hand of five cards, has the opportunity to hold anycombination of those five cards, and then draws new cards to replace thediscarded ones. All pays are usually given for winning combinationsresulting from the final hand, although some video poker games 10C maygive bonus credits for certain combinations received on the first handbefore the draw. In the example shown in FIG. 2C a player has been dealttwo aces, a three, a six, and a nine. The video poker game 10C mayprovide a bonus or payout for the player having been dealt the pair ofaces, even before the player decides what to discard in the draw. Sincepairs, three of a kind, etc. are typically needed for wins, a playerwould likely hold the two aces that have been dealt and draw three cardsto replace the three, six, and nine in the hope of receiving additionalaces or other cards leading to a winning combination with a higher awardamount. After the draw and revealing of the final hand, the video pokergame 10C typically awards any credits won to the credit meter.

The player selectable soft buttons 29C appearing on the screenrespectively correspond to each card on the video display 20C. Thesesoft buttons 29C allow players to select specific cards on the videodisplay 20C such that the card corresponding to the selected soft buttonis “held” before the draw. Typically, video poker machines 10C alsoinclude physical game buttons 32C that correspond to the cards in thehand and may be selected to hold a corresponding card. A deal/drawbutton 33C may also be included to initiate a gaming session aftercredits have been wagered (with a bet button 32C, for example) and todraw any cards not held after the first hand is displayed.

Although examples of a spinning reel slot machine 10A, a video slotmachine 10B, and a video poker machine 10C have been illustrated inFIGS. 2A-2C, gaming machines and various other types of gaming devicesknown in the art are contemplated and are within the scope of theinvention.

FIG. 3A is a block diagram illustrating networked gaming devicesaccording to embodiments of the invention. Referring to FIG. 3A,multiple electronic gaming devices (EGMs) 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, and 75 maybe coupled to one another and coupled to a remote server 80 through anetwork 50. For ease of understanding, gaming devices or EGMs 70, 71,72, 73, 74, and 75 are generically referred to as EGMs 70-75. The termEGMs 70-75, however, may refer to any combination of one or more of EGMs70, 71, 72, 73, 74, and 75. Additionally, the gaming server 80 may becoupled to one or more gaming databases 90. These gaming network 50connections may allow multiple gaming devices 70-75 to remain incommunication with one another during particular gaming modes such astournament play or remote head-to-head play. Although some of the gamingdevices 70-75 coupled on the gaming network 50 may resemble the gamingdevices 10, 10A, 10B, and 10C shown in FIGS. 1A-1B and 2A-2C, othercoupled gaming devices 70-75 may include differently configured gamingdevices. For example, the gaming devices 70-75 may include traditionalslot machines 75 directly coupled to the network 50, banks of gamingdevices 70 coupled to the network 50, banks of gaming devices 70 coupledto the network through a bank controller 60, wireless handheld gamingmachines 72 and cell phones 73 coupled to the gaming network 50 throughone or more wireless routers or antennas 61, personal computers 74coupled to the network 50 through the internet 62, and banks of gamingdevices 71 coupled to the network through one or more optical connectionlines 64. Additionally, some of the traditional gaming devices 70, 71,and 75 may include electronic gaming tables, multi-station gamingdevices, or electronic components operating in conjunction withnon-gaming components, such as automatic card readers, chip readers, andchip counters, for example.

Gaming devices 71 coupled over an optical line 64 may be remote gamingdevices in a different location or casino. The optical line 64 may becoupled to the gaming network 50 through an electronic to optical signalconverter 63 and may be coupled to the gaming devices 71 through anoptical to electronic signal converter 65. The banks of gaming devices70 coupled to the network 50 may be coupled through a bank controller 60for compatibility purposes, for local organization and control, or forsignal buffering purposes. The network 50 may include serial or parallelsignal transmission lines and carry data in accordance with datatransfer protocols such as Ethernet transmission lines, Rs-232 lines,firewire lines, USB lines, or other communication protocols. Althoughnot shown in FIG. 3A, substantially the entire network 50 may be made offiber optic lines or may be a wireless network utilizing a wirelessprotocol such as IEEE 802.11 a, b, g, or n, Zigbee, RF protocols,optical transmission, near-field transmission, or the like.

As mentioned above, each gaming device 70-75 may have an individualprocessor 40 (FIG. 1A) and memory 41 to run and control game play on thegaming device 70-75, or some of the gaming devices 70-75 may beterminals that are run by a remote server 80 in a server based gamingenvironment. Server based gaming environments may be advantageous tocasinos by allowing fast downloading of particular game types or themesbased on casino preference or player selection. Additionally, tournamentbased games, linked games, and certain game types, such as BINGO or kenomay benefit from at least some server 80 based control.

Thus, in some embodiments, the network 50, server 80, and database 90may be dedicated to communications regarding specific game or tournamentplay. In other embodiments, however, the network 50, server 80, anddatabase 90 may be part of a player tracking network. For playertracking capabilities, when a player inserts a player tracking card inthe card reader 46 (FIG. 1A), the player tracking unit 45 sends playeridentification information obtained on the card reader 46 through theMCI 42 over the network 50 to the player tracking server 80, where theplayer identification information is compared to player informationrecords in the player database 90 to provide the player with informationregarding their player account or other features at the gaming device 10where the player is wagering. Additionally, multiple databases 90 and/orservers 80 may be present and coupled to one or more networks 50 toprovide a variety of gaming services, such as both game/tournament dataand player tracking data.

The various systems described with reference to FIGS. 1-3 can be used ina number of ways. For instance, the systems can be used to track dataabout various players. The tracked data can be used by the casino toprovide additional benefits to players, such as extra bonuses or extrabenefits such as bonus games and other benefits as described above.These added benefits further entice the players to play at the casinothat provides the benefits.

As discussed above, players often spend much of their gaming timepassing through losses to reach more exciting wins. One way to improvethe appeal of gaming machines is to sell games, not as individualtransactions, but as a sequence or session of transactions in which anew transaction or gaming event is automatically initiated immediatelyafter completion of a prior one to more quickly reach winning outcomes.Embodiments of this concept are directed to gaming devices configured tovary the speed of game play, as well as methods of operating gamingdevices to vary the speed of game play.

As discussed below, varying the speed of game play can be embodied inmany different formats across different gaming platforms. Some of theseembodiments vary the game speed by rapidly playing through losing gamingevents and automatically initiating a subsequent gaming event withoutfurther player interaction. As wins and bonuses are more exciting eventsfor a player, gaming events with winning outcomes may be conducted overa longer period of time so that the player can enjoy the win. Sincelosses make up a large part of gaming results as discussed above,overall game speed is significantly increased. These and other featuresof the present concept are discussed more fully below in exemplaryembodiments, which are discussed with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 3B is a flow diagram of a method of operating a gaming deviceaccording to embodiments of the invention.

Referring to FIG. 3B, a gaming device 10 (FIG. 1B) may be operated toplay a game of chance by receiving a player input to initiate a gamingevent (91). After such an input is received, the gaming device 10 mayinitiate the gaming event (92) and determine the outcome of the gamingevent (94). Subsequently, the gaming device 10 may determine whether theoutcome is a preferred outcome (95). As mentioned above, a preferredoutcome may be an outcome corresponding to a monetary award, an outcomecorresponding to an award larger than a predetermined value, an outcomethat triggers a bonus game, or the like. If the outcome is a preferredoutcome, the gaming device 10 may display the gaming event for a firstpredetermined time (96). If the outcome is not a preferred outcome, thegaming device 10 may display the gaming event for a second predeterminedtime (98).

To illustrate this feature, imagine, for example, a three reel videoslot machine, where a preferred outcome is defined as any win greaterthan five credits. After a gaming event has been initiated by a player,the outcome of the gaming event is quickly determined by analyzing aselected output from an RNG. If the outcome of the gaming event isdetermined to be a losing outcome (or any outcome up to five credits),the three game reels quickly spin and stop substantially simultaneously.The total time from the player initiating the gaming event to thedisplay of the final outcome of the gaming event for this losing outcomemay take less than a second. On the other hand, if the outcome of thegaming event is determined to be a 100 credit win (or any outcome withan award greater than five credits), the three game reels spin and maystop sequentially from left to right (or substantially simultaneously insome embodiments) over a time period substantially longer than the quickspin time for the non-preferred outcome. The total time from the playerinitiating the gaming event to the display of the final outcome for this100 credit win may take two to three seconds. The increased spin timefor the gaming event with the preferred outcome builds playeranticipation and allows a player to enjoy the preferred result of thegaming event. At the same time, if the result of the gaming event is nota preferred outcome, the gaming event is over very quickly. In otherwords, very little time is spent on losing or non-preferred gamingevents, while greater time and emphasis is placed on more excitingwinning outcomes.

As mentioned above and discussed more fully below, some embodiments ofthe present concept include a gaming device that is configured toautomatically initiate a subsequent gaming event after completion of afirst gaming event. These gaming sessions may continue until a specifictype of outcome is reached or until another session ending event occurs.

For purposes of discussing this concept, a win-seeking feature orwin-seeking gaming session automatically plays one or more gaming eventsuntil a winning outcome is reached. That is, the feature “seeks out” awin. It may occur on the first gaming event of the win-seeking gamingfeature or on the five hundredth gaming event, but the gaming devicewill continue to automatically initiate additional gaming events until awin is reached or the credits available to wager run out. Note that awin may be defined as any outcome that has a prize associated with it,or may be defined as a win with a prize above a predetermined value.Additionally, a win may be defined as a combination of symbols that havea beneficial or preferred result for a player even if the combination byitself is not tied to a monetary award. For, example in a spinning reelgame with three reels, the outcome “Any Bar” “Any Bar” “Any Bar” may notbe directly tied to a monetary award, but may nevertheless be considereda win in some circumstances if it triggers a bonus event, where theplayer may win an award, or have other beneficial virtues that arevaluable to a player. Additionally, if a mystery bonus is triggered on agaming device, the gaming event taking place when the mystery bonus istriggered may be considered and treated as a win even though the symbolcombination of the outcome may not have a corresponding monetary award.

A fast-forward feature or fast-forward gaming session, on the otherhand, automatically plays one or more gaming events until apredetermined event or fast-forward stop event occurs. Fast-forward stopevents may occur when the outcome of a gaming event is a winning outcomeor when the outcome of the gaming event is associated with an awardlarger than a predetermined value (similar to the win-seeking feature).Alternatively, a fast-forward stop event may occur when a predeterminednumber of gaming events have been automatically played, when apredetermined amount of time has elapsed from a time when a gameinitiating button is activated, when a player input is received, when awager amount is greater than the credits available to wager on thegaming device, when a bonus event is reached, or other similar events.In other words, in a fast-forward feature, the gaming device is “fastforwarding” through gaming events to reach a predetermined stoppingpoint. Although some of the embodiments refer to a win-seeking featureor gaming session and other embodiments refer to a fast-forward featureor gaming session, these features or gaming sessions are interchangeablewithin these embodiments.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are detail diagrams of a gaming device according toembodiments of the invention. FIG. 4A illustrates a gaming device 100before a gaming session or after a gaming session, while FIG. 4Billustrates a gaming device 100 during a gaming event in a gamingsession.

Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B, a gaming device 100 includes a gamingdisplay 120 and a player interface panel 130. The gaming display 120 mayinclude physical reels (such as illustrated in FIG. 2A) or, asillustrated in this embodiment, may include a plurality of video reels122 as part of a video display. Each of the plurality of reels mayinclude symbols 123 such as a “Bar” symbol or a blank symbol. One ormore paylines 124 may also be indicated on the gaming display 120. Acredit meter 121 may be part of the gaming display 120 as illustrated inthis embodiment, but may also be represented by a separate meter. One ormore soft buttons 128, 129 may also be present on the gaming display aspreviously described. The player interface panel 130 may include aplurality of game buttons 132 and one or more game initiating buttons133, 134. The soft buttons 128, 129 shown on the game display 120 maycorrespond to the game initiating buttons 133, 134 on the playerinterface panel 130.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the gaming device 100 isconfigured to vary the game speed of the gaming device 100 to minimizetime spent on losing outcomes. For example, the gaming device 100illustrated in the present embodiment is a three reel 122 video slotmachine with three game initiating buttons: two fast forward gameinitiating buttons 133 that respectively place wagers of one and twocredits, and fast forward max bet game initiating button 134 that placesa wager of three credits and may make the player eligible for areceiving a bonus on a bonus device such as a Spin Star bonus wheel. Ifeach credit wagered on this machine is $1 (just an example, otheramounts are equally useful) then the fast forward game initiatingbuttons 133, 134 would place a wager of $1, $2, or $3 depending on whichof the game initiating buttons 133, 134 is activated by a player. Afterthe player inserts money, e.g., $20, and presses one of the gameinitiating buttons 133,134 (or soft buttons 128, 129), the game reels122 spin, but as soon as one game is finished and determined not to be awin, the next game begins. In this embodiment, the player may press anyone of the game initiating buttons 133, 134 (or soft buttons 128, 129 asillustrated in FIG. 4B) at any point to stop the reels. Note that inFIG. 4B, the game reels 122 are illustrated in spinning motion and thelabels of the soft buttons 128, 129 have been changed to read “Pause” toemphasize to a player that any of those buttons 128, 129 may be pressedto pause the gaming session. In embodiments, where the label of thephysical game initiating buttons 133, 134 can be dynamically altered,these labels may also be changed to read “Pause” or “Stop”.

After one of the game initiating buttons 133, 134 has been activated,the gaming device 100 initiates a gaming session that includes one ormore gaming events. Typically, a Random Number Generator (RNG)(included, for example, in the game processor 40 (FIG. 1)) determines anoutcome based on the exact time that a game initiating event occurs.With the present concept, the RNG may determine an outcome only asneeded during a gaming session. That is, a new random number may beselected upon the indication that a new game outcome is needed. Here,any routine or rhythm in making an RNG selection will be varied at leastduring wins, which will have unpredictable game delays associated withrolling up the credits or pausing for player input. In otherembodiments, a list of RNG values may be selected immediately when thegaming session is initiated and each RNG outcome on the list or everyn^(th) outcome on the list may be used to determine a subsequent gamingevent outcome. The list may be replaced any time the player reinitiatesa gaming session with a new list of RNG outcomes.

When the RNG determines a losing outcome, the reels barely spin andpause on the losing outcome instead of coming to a complete stop. Inthis game, a loss takes only a very brief time to complete (such as a ¼second) and the next game is underway. In some embodiments, winningevents are displayed with a full stop of the reels, while credits areawarded and rolled up before the gaming session is continued. This pauseis allotted to allow players time to appreciate the win theyaccomplished and the pause duration may be proportional in size to thesize of the win (a 2 credit win barely pauses while a 500 credit winpauses for a number of seconds). The spin time for wins is far shorterthan in traditional games—say ½ second as compared to 2 or 3 seconds. Asalready explained, losses occur far more rapidly, taking only ¼ secondto accomplish. The overall pause time after a win averages out to about2 seconds and the time required for a player to initiate the next gameis eliminated (though a player can inject a pause at any time simply bypressing one of the game initiating buttons 133, 134). Table 1 providesan example of these times. Note that Reel Spin Time is labeled as “RST”and is the time provided for the completion of the initiation andspinning of the reels. Outcome Display Time is labeled as “ODT” and isthe time provided within a gaming event to display each of the reels andthe final outcome. Delay Time is the time allocated after the gamingevent before a subsequent gaming event is ready to play (i.e.,activating the gaming buttons and preparing to accept a wager). TheTotal Time is the sum or total of these listed times for wins (W) andLosses (L).

TABLE 1 Losing Winning Losing Winning Delay Total RST RST ODT ODT TimeTime Conven-  2.5 sec  2.5 sec  3.0 sec 3.0 sec 0.5 sec W: 6.0 sectional L: 6.0 sec Game Fast- 0.10 sec 0.50 sec 0.15 sec 2.0 sec 0.0 secW: 2.5 sec Forward L: 0.25 sec Game

In the new game, wins consume just 2.5 seconds and losses require only0.25 seconds. Presuming 60% of game outcomes are losses; average timeper outcome is only about 1.15 seconds-roughly 5 times faster than atraditional game. The Delay Time for the Fast-Forward Game can also bekept to minimum because the game does not need to pause to reactivateall of the game buttons and prepare to accept another wager. Rather,since the next gaming event automatically takes place after completionof the previous gaming event, this time can be reduced or eliminated.Even in embodiments that wait for player input after a winning outcome,this time can be reduced or eliminated because the game buttons do nothave to be deactivated during game play and hence reactivated after gameplay (conventional games often include this to limit the ability ofplayers to “slam” through games by repeatedly pressing the gamebuttons).

Players spend their experience on winning events much more using thisscheme, but of course, they are wagering on a lot more games and hourlycosts can skyrocket. The cost of playing a game is generally calculableas an hourly cost by multiplying wager size*game speed*hold percentage.For a conventional game, a player playing $3.00 per gaming event at anapproximate speed of one game event every six seconds with an averagepayback percentage of 92.5% would have an hourly cost of $3.00 (wagersize)*600 (games per hour)*0.075 (1−payback percentage)=$135 per hour.Using the previous formula, a game using the present concept would cost$3.00*3130 (games per hour using 1.15 seconds pergame)*0.075%=$704/hour: Great for casinos, but too expensive for mostplayers. To lower that cost, the average wager size and/or the holdpercentage can be reduced. If hold percentage is dropped to 1.4% (apayback percentage of 98.6%), the cost/hour becomes$3.00*0.014*3130=$131.46/hour, which is pretty close to the same hourlycost as a standard 92.5% game.

Presume both old and new games have exactly the same paytable andvolatility where 40% of outcomes are wins. Remember too, each has thesame hourly cost of play (i.e., profit to casino). Let's look at theplayer's experience reflected in Table 2:

TABLE 2 Original Game “No Loss” Game Total Games Total Wins Total GamesTotal Wins 600 240 3,130 1,252

Under this new technique, for about a $130 cost, players enjoy an hourof gambling loaded with over 1,200 wins—about 1 win every 2.875 seconds.The old game gives a win every 15 seconds. Under the new methodology,players activate the fast-forward gaming session and watch the wins rollin until they elect to stop the game. In the conventional system, aplayer must press a game initiating button or pull a game initiatinghandle 600 times every hour.

In embodiments where the gaming session ends after a win is reached, thenumbers may be changed a little bit to reflect the time it takes aplayer to reinitiate a gaming session. However, many players do notreflect on small wins long. Hence, these players often quicklyreinitiate games even when a winning outcome is displayed. Some playerseven “slam” through the credit roll-up to rush to the next gaming event.Thus, while the payback percentage may have to be lowered slightly toaccommodate for the slight reduction is speed, the payback percentagemay still be kept significantly higher than for conventional gamingdevices while maintaining a consistent cost per hour.

In some embodiments, the gaming device 100 may display a differentlosing outcome than the one determined by the game processor 40 (FIG.1A) to maintain the increase in game speed. This may be especiallyimportant in embodiments that utilize physical spinning reels as agaming display 120 rather than video spinning reels. To the player, aloss is a loss no matter what kind of loss is displayed on the gamingdisplay 120. In addition, past problems of repeatedly showing a“near-miss” of a jackpot is eliminated because all reels can stoptogether, and the losing outcome is only displayed momentarily. Inaddition, physical spinning reel embodiments of the gaming device 100will show the closest reasonable loss to a present position of thespinning reels to improve the game speed rather than attempting to showmultiple jackpot symbols with one reel nearly missing the last-neededjackpot symbol.

To discourage players from continually pausing or stopping gamingsessions (and hence negating the benefit of the faster game play whilestill taking advantage of the higher payback percentage), someembodiments may use a plurality of paytables in calculating the outcomesfor gaming events. For example, a higher payback paytable may be usedafter three consecutive gaming events have occurred without the playeractively pausing or stopping the gaming session. A lower paybackpaytable may be used for up to three gaming events after a playeractively pauses or stops the gaming session.

In other embodiments, a more positive (and intuitively understandable)motivation may be provided to discourage players from actively pausingor stopping gaming sessions. For example, a top jackpot may only beavailable after a consecutive number of gaming events are played withoutan active pause or stop. In other embodiments, the top jackpot may onlybe available during an automatically initiated gaming session.Alternatively, a top award may be decreased each time the playeractively pauses or stops a gaming session.

In yet other embodiments, each gaming session may include a set amountof time that may be used for pauses. If, for example, a player is given60 seconds of pause time for each gaming session, the player may not beable to pause a gaming session after the 60 seconds has been used up. Inthis case, the player may have to press the cash-out button 132 to stopa gaming session.

In some embodiments, a string of consecutive losses may pay an award tothe player. That is, even though losses are sped through usingembodiments of the present concept, a string of consecutive losses inwhich the player's credit meter continues to dwindle may prove equallyfrustrating. Thus, giving a player a small award for consecutive lossesmay boost their morale while not costing much in return. In otherembodiments, the size of the “loss prize” may be tied to the number ofconsecutive losses. For example, a string of ten consecutive losses maypay only 5 credits, but fifteen straight losses pays 20 credits andtwenty consecutive losses may pay 100 credits. Because it is unlikelythat a player will go for extended periods without reaching a win, thesesignificantly sized “loss prizes” may not occur very often. In stillother embodiments, the player may be given a choice of foregoing one ormore wins to attempt to get a better “loss prize.” In the above example,if the player won a 5 credit win on the 18^(th) consecutive loss, theplayer may choose to forgo this win of 5 credits to see if he or shecould lose two more games and obtain the “loss prize” of 100 credits.

Additional player feedback related to the outcome of gaming events mayalso be included in some embodiments. In some of these embodiments, ananticipatory sound or auditory signal may be played during the reelspins of winning outcomes. Thus, player anticipation may build when theplayer hears the sound during a reel spin, since the player associatesthat sound with a winning outcome. Different sounds may also be playedfor different levels of win amounts. For example, different sounds maybe played for respective win levels of: 10 credits or less, 11 to 20credits, 21 to 50 credits, 51 to 100 credits, 101 to 500 credits, and501 credits or more. In other embodiments, the anticipatory sound mayonly be played for wins above a predetermined amount or otherwisedefined as a preferred outcome (such as for a bonus). These sounds maybe played through the speaker or speakers 26 (FIG. 1A) of the gamingdevice 100.

In other embodiments, losing sounds may be played during losing gameoutcomes. Since, the reel spin time for losing outcomes is shorter thanthe reel spin time for winning outcomes, the sound for the losingoutcomes may be limited to a single note or tone, or limited to only afew notes or tones. Additionally, during a streak of losses, the losingsound may change or escalate in pitch, volume, tone, or other means toreflect the continued losses. This change in the losing sound may occuron each successive loss or after “n” losses. For example, the losingsound may be a simple low note for the first three losses, increase inpitch for the next three losses, increase in pitch and volume for thenext three losses, increase again in pitch for the next five losses,etc.

In addition to auditory feedback for players, visual or “touch” feedbackmay also be employed in some embodiments of the gaming device 100.Within the game play itself, the longer reel spins of a winning outcomeis a visual cue provided to the player to build anticipation. However,other visual cues may be used to indicate winning or preferred outcomes.For example, additional lights on the gaming display 120 or gamingcabinet 15 (FIG. 1B) may be illuminated or change colors duringpreferred outcomes. Other examples may include using light patterns,such as flashing the lights, or the use of graphic or video displays onthe gaming display 120 or other portion of the gaming device 100.“Touch” feedback may also be included in some embodiments to emphasizewinning or preferred outcomes. For example, one or more game buttons 132or game initiation buttons 133, 134 may vibrate. In other embodiments, agaming handle 12 (FIG. 1A) or chair connected to the gaming device mayincorporate movement, such as a vibration, to indicate a preferredoutcome. Visual and “touch” feedback may also be used in someembodiments with losing outcomes, or strings of losing outcomes.

FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 are flow diagrams of exemplary methods of operating agaming device according to embodiments of the invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, an exemplary method of operating a gaming devicewith a win-seeking feature is described. After a player enters creditsinto a gaming device 100 (FIG. 4A), the credits available for wageringby the player are displayed on a credit meter (200). The gaming device100 waits until it receives a player input to activate a win-seekinggaming session (210). When the win-seeking gaming session is activated,the gaming device 100 deducts an amount wagered by the player from thecredits available for wagering (220) and initiates a gaming event (230).The amount wagered by a player may be determined by which one of thegame initiating buttons 133, 134 (FIG. 4A) is pressed, or may bedetermined by one or more wager parameters set up by a player on agaming device with multiple bet options (such as shown in FIG. 9).

After the gaming event has been initiated, the gaming device 100 mayascertain an outcome associated with the gaming event and determine ifthe outcome is a winning outcome (240). In some embodiments, any outcomethat results in credits returned to a player may be considered a winningoutcome. This is especially the case in single line games utilizingthree spinning reels. In other embodiments, only outcomes that result ina win larger than an amount wagered or larger than a predeterminedamount may be considered a winning outcome. These embodiments may bemore useful in multi-line games with five reels.

If the outcome is not determined to be a winning outcome, the gamingevent may be displayed for a second predetermined time (272) and thelosing outcome may be briefly displayed (275) before another wageramount is deducted from the available credits (220) and another gamingevent is initiated (230). In spinning reel games, all of the spinningreels may be stopped substantially simultaneously to increase the gamespeed. However, in other embodiments, the reels may be stopped veryquickly from left to right. In either embodiment, the time spentspinning of the reels themselves may be kept to a relatively shortamount of time so as to increase the overall game speed and quicklyreach the next gaming event. As mentioned above, it is typicallypreferable to immediately go into the next gaming event after the losinggame outcome is displayed. However, in some embodiments, a small delaytime may be utilized after the losing outcome is displayed to increasethe time the player has to pause the gaming session, change a wageramount, or observe the displayed losing outcome.

If the outcome is determined to be a winning outcome, the gaming eventmay be displayed for a first predetermined time (278) and the winningoutcome of the gaming event is displayed (280). When a winning outcomeis to be displayed, the gaming device 100 may spin the reels for alonger period of time than when a losing outcome is displayed so thatthe player knows a win is about to happen. Additional auditory or visualclues may also be used to indicate that a win is about to occur toincrease player anticipation. Further, if a winning outcome is to bedisplayed, the reels may stop one by one from left to right rather thanall stopping substantially simultaneously.

Any prizes associated with the winning outcome are awarded to the player(290) and the gaming session is ended. When the gaming session ends, thegaming device 100 may wait for further player input (295), which mayinclude the initiation of another gaming session or the cashing out ofany remaining credits.

Referring to FIG. 6, an exemplary method of operating a gaming devicethat increases player anticipation during a win-seeking feature isdescribed. That is, in some embodiments it is preferable to maintainplayer anticipation in the games even if they are ultimately losses. Forexample, instead of the game speeding up and ending as soon as it isdetermined to be a losing game, some embodiments may maintain normalreel spin rates as long as it appears possible for a player to have awinning game session. The “near-miss” is often times as motivating for aplayer to continue play as a lower winning game is. Thus, for amulti-reel game, as long as bars (7s, cherries, etc.) appear on the payline, the game plays at a normal pace. When the first blank ornon-conforming symbol appears on a reel (i.e., when it becomes apparentthat the game will be a losing game), the remaining reels either speedup or come to halt pausing briefly to show the final losing outcomebefore re-initiating another game. This would allow the player toexperience anticipation at wins (or even just large wins) while stillspeeding through losses.

After a player enters credits into a gaming device 100 (FIG. 4A), thecredits available for wagering by the player are displayed on a creditmeter (200). The gaming device 100 waits until it receives a playerinput to activate a win-seeking gaming session (210). When thewin-seeking gaming session is activated, the gaming device 100 deductsan amount wagered by the player from the credits available for wagering(220) and initiates a gaming event (230).

After the gaming event has been initiated, the gaming device 100 mayspin each of the game reels 122 (235). The gaming device may then stopthe leftmost (or rightmost in other embodiments) reel (245). It is thendetermined whether a win on an active payline is still possible (250).For example, on a three reel game with only a single center payline(such as illustrated in FIG. 4A), if a blank lands on the payline of thefirst reel, there is not (in some embodiments) a possible win that theplayer can achieve. However, if a Bar symbol lands on the centerpayline, then it is still possible that a win may occur.

If it is determined that a win is not possible, all of the remainingreels are quickly stopped (270), the final losing outcome is displayed(275), and the gaming session continues by deducting another wageramount from the available credits (220). If it is determined that a winis still possible, the gaming device 100 determines if all of the gamereels have stopped (255). If all of the game reels have not yet stopped,the next game reels is stopped (245) and the process is repeated. If itdetermined that all of the game reels are stopped (255) and that a winis possible on a payline (250), the outcome is a winning outcome. Atthis time, the gaming device 100 displays the winning gaming outcome(280) and awards any prizes associated with the winning outcome (290).When the gaming session ends, the gaming device 100 may wait for furtherplayer input (295), which may include the initiation of another gamingsession or the cashing out of any remaining credits.

Referring to FIG. 7, an exemplary method of operating a gaming deviceduring a fast-forward feature is described. As discussed above, forpurposes of this discussion, a win-seeking feature or gaming sessionautomatically plays one or more gaming events until a winning outcome isreached. A fast-forward feature or gaming session automatically playsone or more gaming events until a predetermined event or fast-forwardstop event occurs. Fast-forward stop events may occur when the outcomeof a gaming event is a winning outcome, when the outcome of the gamingevent is associated with an award larger than a predetermined value, orwhen a preferred outcome is reached (similar to the win-seekingfeature). Alternatively, a fast-forward stop event may occur when apredetermined number of gaming events have been automatically played,when a predetermined amount of time has elapsed from a time when thegame initiating button is activated, when a player input is received,when a wager amount is greater than the credits available to wager onthe gaming device, when a bonus event is reached, or other similarevents.

For example, in some embodiments a “time out” feature may be employed,where the gaming device may prompt for player interaction (such as ahitting the win-seeking game initiating button 133, 134 again) after apredetermined number of games or time period has elapsed. In otherwords, a player may only be able to use the win-seeking gaming sessionfor a set number of games (e.g., 20 or 50) or for a set time frame(e.g., five minutes) before having to reinitiate the feature. This mayact as a time-shifting mechanism that spreads the wager out over anumber of spins rather than putting a larger wager on a single spin. Forexample, instead of a player betting 10 credits per line on a five linegame and getting a single spin with a 92.5% payback, a player would get10 gaming session at one credit per line on the five line game with a92.5% payback.

After a player enters credits into a gaming device 100 (FIG. 4A), thecredits available for wagering by the player are displayed on a creditmeter (200). The gaming device 100 waits until it receives a playerinput to activate a fast-forward gaming session (215). When thefast-forward gaming session is activated, the gaming device 100 deductsan amount wagered by the player from the credits available for wagering(220) and initiates a gaming event (230).

After the gaming event has been initiated, the gaming device 100determines an outcome of the gaming event (232) and ascertains whetherthe outcome is a preferred outcome (260). In some embodiments, apreferred outcome is simply a winning outcome. In other embodiments,however, a preferred outcome may only include winning outcomes that haveassociated prizes that are greater than a predetermined about or bonustriggering outcomes. If it is determined that the outcome of the gamingevent is a preferred outcome, the gaming event and preferred outcome aredisplayed (262) and any prizes associated with the preferred outcome areawarded to the player (282). If it is determined that the outcome of thegaming event is not a preferred outcome, the gaming event andnon-preferred outcome are briefly displayed (264). As discussed above,the duration of the display of the gaming event and/or the outcome maybe varied dependent upon whether the outcome is determined to be apreferred outcome.

After the outcome is displayed, the gaming device 100 determines if afast-forward stop event has occurred (285). As discussed above, afast-forward stop event may include various criteria. If it isdetermined that a fast-forward stop event has not occurred, the gamingdevice 100 may deduct another wager amount from the credits available(220) and initiate another gaming event (230). If it is determined thata fast-forward stop event has occurred, the gaming device may end thefast-forward gaming session. When the gaming session ends, the gamingdevice 100 may wait for further player input (295), which may includethe initiation of another gaming session or the cashing out of anyremaining credits. Although this embodiment shows that the determinationof the occurrence of a fast-forward stop event is made after an outcomeis displayed, this determination may be made prior to the display of theoutcome in other embodiments.

FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C are flow diagrams of exemplary methods of handlinglow credit amounts during a win-seeking feature according to embodimentsof the invention. Unless a player continues inputting credits orcash-out frequently, the instance where an amount to be automaticallywagered being greater than the credits remaining on the gaming deviceand available for wagering may not be uncommon FIGS. 8A-8C discussseveral embodiments on how this situation is handled.

Referring to FIG. 8A, during an automatically continued gaming session(288) it is determined whether the wager amount that is about to bededucted from the available credits is greater than the actual amount ofcredits available for wagering (292). If there remain sufficientavailable credits to cover the automatic wager deduction, the gamingsession simply continues (299). However, if the amount to be wagered anddeducted is greater and the available credits, it is then determined ifthere are any credits available to wager (294). If there are no creditsavailable to wager, the gaming session pauses or ends, at which time thegaming device waits for further player input (295), such as the input ofadditional credits. If, however, there are still credits available forwagering, but there are not enough credits to cover the amount to beautomatically deducted, the wager amount may be automatically set to beequal to the amount of credits available (296) and used in thesubsequent gaming event (299).

For example, if a player has been playing $3.00 per wager, but only$2.00 remain on the credit meter, the gaming device may automaticallyset the wager amount equal to $2.00 and initiate a subsequent gamingevent.

Referring to FIG. 8B, a process using this embodiment is similar to theone described with reference to FIG. 8A. However, instead ofautomatically adjusting the wager amount and initiating another gamingevent, the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8B simply ends the gamingsession (297) and waits for additional player input (295), such asadding additional credits or cashing out.

Referring to FIG. 8C, a process using this embodiment is similar to theones described with reference to FIGS. 8A and 8B. However, instead ofautomatically adjusting the wager amount and initiating another gamingevent or simply ending the gaming session, the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 8C pauses the gaming session for a predetermined time (298) toallow the player to input additional credits before either automaticallyadjusting the wager amount and continuing the gaming session (299) orending the gaming session and waiting for additional player input (295).Pausing of the gaming session for a predetermined time (298) may alsoinclude notifying the player of the low credit amount by displaying amessage on the gaming display 120 or by other means.

Although FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C provide several exemplary embodiments inhandling low credit situations, other embodiments may include a gamingdevice that is configured to automatically withdraw credits from anonline player account to replenish credits on the machine. This optionmay be regulated by a player having such an account at a gamingestablishment. That is, a player may dictate if gaming devices areallowed to automatically replenish credits on a gaming device, and theamount of credits authorized to be replenished for each transaction andfor a specified time period (e.g., a maximum amount authorized daily).These embodiments may provide a convenience to the player by notrequiring them to insert additional money or retrieve additional moneyif they are out of cash. Additionally, automatic transfer of credits maynot interrupt the player's game playing experience. This transfer ofcredits may be accomplished using a network 50 (FIG. 3A) connected tothe gaming device, as well as a remote server 80 and database 90.

In other embodiments, the player may be notified of a low credit amounton the credit meter, and request player input to authorize a transfer ofcredits machine, and in some examples, an amount of credits to betransferred. In some cases, the player may be asked to provideadditional information to authorize a transfer, such as entering a PINcode or providing additional identification.

FIG. 9 is a detail diagram of a gaming device according to embodimentsof the invention.

Referring to FIG. 9, the gaming device 300 includes a video gamingdisplay 320 with five video spinning reels 322. Each of the videospinning reels 322 has a plurality of gaming symbols 323. Additionallythe gaming device is a multi-line game, where multiple paylines 324exist in various configurations. The gaming display 320 also includesone or more soft buttons 329 that may be activated by player touch.

The gaming device 300 may also include a player interface panel 330 thatincludes a plurality of gaming buttons 332, a conventional gameinitiating button 333, and a win-seeking game initiating button 334. Itis noted that although this embodiment describes a win-seeking feature,any of the fast-forward stop events may be interchangeable used indifferent embodiments.

In some embodiments, the win-seeking (fast-forward) game initiatingbutton 334 may be optional. That is, a player may select whether to usethis feature during game play. This may be from a selection in the“MENU” or “HELP” screen, or as part of their stored player preferences.Additionally, this fast-forward feature may only be available to certainplayers (e.g., identified players, higher wagering players, etc.).

The operation of this gaming device 300 will be discussed in furtherdetail in conjunction with FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of amethod of operating a gaming device according to embodiments of theinvention.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, after a player enters credits into a gamingdevice 300, the credits available for wagering by the player aredisplayed on a credit meter (350). The gaming device 300 waits until itreceives a player input to initiate a game on the gaming device (355).When a player input to initiate a game is received by the gaming device300, it is determined whether a fast-forward gaming session (orwin-seeking gaming session) is activated (360). If a fast-forward gamingsession is not activated (i.e., a single game wagering event wasinitiated), the gaming device 300 retrieves a single game paytable frommemory (380) and deducts a wagered amount from the available credits(382). Thereafter, an outcome for the single gaming event is determinedusing the single game paytable (384). The single gaming event and thedetermined outcome for the single gaming event are displayed (386) andany prizes associated with the outcome are awarded to the player (388).Because only a single gaming event was activated, the gaming device thenwaits for further player input (390).

On the other hand, when it is determined that a fast-forward gamingsession was activated, the gaming device 300 retrieves a fast-forwardpaytable from memory (362). The fast-forward paytable may have a betterpayback percentage than the single game paytable since a fast-forwardgaming session may be played at a much faster rate than a single gameevent. After retrieving the fast-forward paytable, a wager amount isdeducted from the credits available for wagering (364) and an outcome ofa gaming event is determined using the fast-forward paytable (366).

At this point the fast-forward gaming session may follow similarprocesses or steps to the fast-forward gaming sessions described withreference to FIGS. 5, 6, or 7. The fast-forward gaming session processesillustrated in FIG. 10 are similar to those shown in FIG. 7. That is,after an outcome of a gaming event is determined using the fast-forwardpaytable, the gaming device 300 determines if the outcome is a preferredoutcome (370). If it is a preferred outcome, the gaming event and thepreferred outcome are displayed (372) and any prizes associated with thepreferred outcome are awarded to the player (374). If the outcome isdetermined to be a non-preferred outcome, the gaming event and thenon-preferred outcome are briefly displayed (376). As discussed above,the duration of the display of the gaming event and/or the outcome maybe varied dependent upon whether the outcome is determined to be apreferred outcome.

After the outcome is displayed, the gaming device 300 determines iffast-forward stop event has occurred (378). Again these fast-forwardstop events may include the occurrence of a winning outcome, apredetermined number of completed game events, an end of a predeterminedamount of time, a player input, etc. If a fast-forward stop event hasnot occurred, the fast-forward gaming session continues by deductinganother wager amount from the available credits (364) and determininganother game event outcome using the fast-forward paytable (366). If, onthe other hand, a fast-forward stop event has taken place, thefast-forward gaming session ends and the gaming device 300 waits for aplayer input (390).

FIG. 11 is a detail diagram of a gaming device according to embodimentsof the invention.

Referring to FIG. 11, the gaming device 400 includes some similarfeatures to the gaming device 100 illustrated in FIGS. 4A-4B. That is,the gaming device 400 includes a gaming display 420 showing three videoreels 422, each with a plurality of game symbols 423, a credit meter421, and a single center payline 424. The player interface panel 430 ofthe gaming device 400 again includes a plurality of game buttons 432.

In this embodiment, however, the player interface panel includes aplurality of wager amount buttons 435, 438 and game controlling buttons440, 445. The wager amount buttons 435, 438 include two lower wageramount buttons 435 and a max bet wager button 438 that may make theplayer eligible for a bonus prize. The wager amount buttons 435, 438 maysimply allow a player to select the amount of his or her subsequentwager, may select a wager amount and initiate a fast-forward gamingsession using the selected amount as the wager amount for each gamingevent in the fast-forward gaming session, or may select a wager amountand initiate a single gaming event.

The game controlling buttons 440, 445 may include a fast-forward gameinitiating button 440 and a fast-forward stop button 445. The gamingdisplay may also have soft buttons 428, 431 corresponding to these gamecontrolling buttons 440, 445. The fast-forward game initiating buttonmay be used with the wager amount buttons 435, 438 to initiate afast-forward gaming session. The fast-forward stop button 445 may beused at any time during a fast-forward gaming session to pause or endthe gaming session.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram of a method of operating a gaming deviceaccording to embodiments of the invention. The method of operating agaming device illustrated in FIG. 12 is similar to the method shown inFIG. 7 except that the determination of whether a fast-forward stopevent had occurred is replaced by the determination of whether thefast-forward stop button had been activated. Because of the separatedbuttons to activate and end a gaming session, embodiments such as thoseshown in FIGS. 11 and 12 may be especially well suited to instanceswhere a gaming session automatically initiates subsequent gaming eventsafter both winning outcomes and losing outcomes. Here, the gaming device400 pauses longer at winning outcomes to roll-up the credits won and toallow the player to appreciate the win before automatically initiatinganother gaming event.

Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, after a player enters credits into agaming device 400, the credits available for wagering by the player aredisplayed on a credit meter (450). The gaming device 400 waits until itreceives a player input to activate a fast-forward gaming session (455).When the fast-forward gaming session is activated, the gaming device 400deducts an amount wagered by the player from the credits available forwagering (460) and initiates a gaming event (465).

After the gaming event has been initiated, the gaming device 400determines an outcome of the gaming event (470) and ascertains whetherthe outcome is a preferred outcome (475). In some embodiments, apreferred outcome is simply a winning outcome. In other embodiments,however, a preferred outcome may only include winning outcomes that haveassociated prizes that are greater than a predetermined about or bonustriggering outcomes. If it is determined that the outcome of the gamingevent is a preferred outcome, the gaming event and the preferred outcomeare displayed (480) and any prizes associated with the preferred outcomeare awarded to the player (485). If it is determined that the outcome ofthe gaming event is not a preferred outcome, the gaming event and thenon-preferred outcome are briefly displayed (488). As discussed above,the duration of the display of the gaming event and/or the outcome maybe varied dependent upon whether the outcome is determined to be apreferred outcome.

After the outcome is displayed, the gaming device 400 determines if afast-forward stop event has occurred (490). As discussed above, afast-forward stop event may include various criteria. If it isdetermined that a fast-forward stop event has not occurred, the gamingdevice 400 may deduct another wager amount from the credits available(460) and initiate another gaming event (465). If it is determined thata fast-forward stop event has occurred, the gaming device may end thefast-forward gaming session. When the gaming session ends, the gamingdevice 400 may wait for further player input (495), which may includethe initiation of another gaming session or the cashing out of anyremaining credits.

FIG. 13 is a detail diagram of a gaming device according to embodimentsof the invention.

Referring to FIG. 13, the gaming device 500 includes some similarfeatures to the gaming device 500 illustrated in FIGS. 4A-4B. That is,the gaming device 500 includes a gaming display 520 showing three videoreels 522, each with a plurality of game symbols 523, a credit meter521, and a single center payline 524. The player interface panel 530 ofthe gaming device 500 again includes a plurality of game buttons 532along with a plurality of fast-forward game initiating buttons 533, 534.The gaming display 520 may also include a plurality of soft buttons 528,529 that correspond to the fast-forward game initiating buttons 533,534.

In addition, the player interface panel 530 includes a speed controllingknob 548. In some embodiments, the speed controlling knob 548 may beoperated by the player to control the speed at which game events play atduring a fast-forward gaming session. That is, the player may rotate thespeed controlling knob 548 clockwise or counter clockwise to reduce thetime spent spinning reels and/or displaying a gaming event outcome. Inother embodiments, the speed controlling knob 548 may be used toincrease or decrease the threshold for win size that pauses or ends afast-forward gaming session. For example, a player may turn the speedcontrolling knob 548 clockwise to increase the threshold for win sizefrom 2 credits to 5 credits. Thus, in this example, wins of four creditsor less would be treated similarly to losses in that the gaming device500 would only briefly pause to show the win before automaticallyinitiating another gaming event. When the win threshold is increased,the overall game speed also increases since the gaming device 500 willnot pause long for smaller wins.

The speed controlling knob 548 may be moved between discrete positions(i.e., clicked between a plurality of positions) or may be moved along acontinuous analog path. Although a rotating knob is shown as the speedcontrolling knob 548 in FIG. 13, a variety of switches, buttons, orlevers may be used in a various configurations to accomplish a similarresult as described above. These variations are contemplated by thisdisclosure.

A plurality of paytables may be associated with the different positionsof the speed controlling knob 548. That is a higher percentage paybackpaytable may be used when the speed controlling knob 548 is operated toincrease the game speed of the gaming device 500. Likewise, a lowerpercentage payback paytable may be used when the speed controlling knob548 is operated to decrease the game speed of the gaming device 500.

The gaming display 520 may also be utilized to communicate to the playerthat increasing the speed of the game play may increase the payback ofthe gaming device 500. Although this information could be printed on thegaming cabinet 15 (FIG. 1B), such as on the gaming glass, it may be morepreferable to have an indication on the gaming monitor 520 appear whenthe gaming speed in changed by the player by using the speed controllingknob 548. This indication may be a short ‘pop-up’ or dialog box thatbriefly appears on the game display 520 to say, for example, “Increasinggame speed increases game payback.” In other embodiments, the change inpayback percentage may be displayed or even the overall paybackpercentage. Alternatively, a meter may be displayed on the gamingdisplay 520 where the faster the game speed, the more filled in themeter becomes. This meter may be labeled to emphasize that an increasein game speed further increases the payback of the gaming device 500.This information may also be provided or elaborated upon in a HELP orMENU screen.

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram of a method of operating a gaming deviceaccording to embodiments of the invention.

Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14, after a player enters credits into agaming device 500, the credits available for wagering by the player aredisplayed on a credit meter (550). The gaming device 500 waits until itreceives a player input to activate a win-seeking gaming session (555).When the win-seeking gaming session is activated, the gaming device 500determines the selected game speed (560) based at least in part on theposition of the speed controlling knob 548, and selects a paytablecorresponding to the selected game speed (570) from a plurality ofpaytables. The gaming device 500 then deducts an amount wagered by theplayer from the credits available for wagering (570) and initiates agaming event using the selected paytable (575).

After the gaming event has been initiated, the gaming device 500 mayascertain an outcome associated with the gaming event and determine ifthe outcome is a winning outcome (580). If the outcome is not determinedto be a winning outcome, the gaming event and the losing outcome may bebriefly displayed (582) before another wager amount is deducted from theavailable credits (570) and another gaming event is initiated using theselected paytable (575). Although not shown, the gaming device 500 maydetermine if the game speed has been altered by the player, and if so,select a different paytable.

If the outcome is determined to be a winning outcome, the gaming eventand the winning outcome of the gaming event are displayed (585). Anyprizes associated with the winning outcome are awarded to the player(590) and the gaming session is ended. When the gaming session ends, thegaming device 500 may wait for further player input (595), which mayinclude the initiation of another gaming session or the cashing out ofany remaining credits. As discussed above, the duration of the displayof the gaming event and/or the outcome may be varied dependent uponwhether the outcome is determined to be a preferred outcome.

FIG. 15 is a detail diagram of a video poker gaming device according toembodiments of the invention.

Referring to FIG. 15, the gaming device 600 includes a video display 620that displays player information 621, a plurality of playing cards 623,and a plurality of soft buttons 629 associated with each playing card623. The gaming device 600 may also include a player interface panel 630that includes a plurality of game buttons 632, a ‘Deal/Draw’ button, anda ‘Speed Poker’ button 634. The speed poker button 634 utilizesprinciples of the present concept and applies them to video poker games.That is, the speed poker button 634 may vary the speed of game play forthe video poker gaming device 600 and emphasize larger winning hands.Operation of the video poker gaming device 600 using the speed pokerbutton 634 will be further described with reference to FIG. 16.

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram of a method of operating a video poker gamingdevice according to embodiments of the invention.

Referring to FIGS. 15 and 16, after credits are received from a playerfor wagering on the video poker gaming device 600, the credits availablefor wagering on the video poker gaming device 600 are displayed (650).The video poker gaming device 600 than waits to receive a player inputto activate a speed poker gaming session (655), which is activated usingthe speed poker button 634. After the player input is received, a wageramount is deducted from the available credits (660) and a poker hand isdealt (665). The video poker gaming device 600 then determines whetherthe dealt poker hand meets any big win criteria (670).

Big win criteria may include a variety of conditions on the dealt pokerhand. The emphasis here is to keep dealt poker hands that eitherguarantee wins or are very close to large poker hand wins. In someembodiments, the big win criteria includes receiving a dealt poker handwith a percentage chance greater than a predetermined thresholdpercentage chance of being a large poker win. For example, if thepredetermined threshold percentage chance is defined as 50%, dealt pokerhands that have better than a 50% chance of having a winning outcome areallowed to proceed to a subsequent process.

In other embodiments, the big win criteria include receiving a dealtpoker hand that meets one of plurality of pre-identified poker hands.For example, any pair of jacks or better that will result in a win, fourcards to a flush, four cards to an outside straight, or four cards to aroyal flush may be allowed to pass to a subsequent process. In yet otherembodiments, the big win criteria includes receiving a dealt poker handthat requires only one card on a subsequent draw to complete one of aplurality of pre-identified large winning poker hands. Here, a largewinning poker hand may be defined as a three of a kind or betterdepending on the availability of wild cards. In still other embodiments,the big win criteria includes receiving a dealt poker hand that requirestwo cards on a subsequent draw to complete one of a plurality ofpre-identified large winning poker hands.

If the dealt poker hand does not meet the big win criteria, a fee isdeducted from the credits available to wager (675) and another pokerhand is dealt to the player on the video poker gaming device 600. Thefee deducted by the gaming device 600 may preferably be smaller than theamount wagered. This is especially preferable when the big win criteriaare fairly difficult to reach on a dealt hand.

If the dealt poker hand does meet the big win criteria, the player isthen allowed to hold whichever cards from the dealt hand that he or shedesires, and then the player is allowed to draw additional cards toreplace the un-held cards in making a final poker hand (680).Thereafter, any prizes associated with the final poker hand are awardedto the player (690) and the speed poker gaming session ends. After thespeed poker gaming session ends, the gaming device waits for asubsequent player input (695).

Some embodiments of the invention have been described above, and inaddition, some specific details are shown for purposes of illustratingthe inventive principles. However, numerous other arrangements may bedevised in accordance with the inventive principles of this patentdisclosure. Further, well known processes have not been described indetail in order not to obscure the invention. Thus, while the inventionis described in conjunction with the specific embodiments illustrated inthe drawings, it is not limited to these embodiments or drawings.Rather, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications,and equivalents that come within the scope and spirit of the inventiveprinciples set out in the appended claims.

1. A method of operating a gaming device, the method comprising:displaying credits available to a player for wagering on the gamingdevice; receiving a player input to activate a first gaming event on thegaming device; determining an outcome of the first gaming event;displaying outcome symbols representing the outcome of the first gamingevent for a first predetermined time when the outcome associated withthe first gaming event is a preferred outcome; and displaying outcomesymbols representing the outcome of the first gaming event for a secondpredetermined time when the outcome associated with the first gamingevent is not a preferred outcome, the first predetermined time differentthan the second predetermined time.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereinthe first predetermined time is longer than the second predeterminedtime.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: displaying theoutcome symbols associated with the first gaming event for a thirdpredetermined time when the outcome associated with the first gamingevent is a preferred outcome; and displaying the outcome associated withthe first gaming event for a fourth predetermined time when the outcomeassociated with the first gaming event is not a preferred outcome. 4.The method of claim 3, further comprising automatically initiating asecond gaming event after the outcome associated with the first gamingevent has been displayed.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the secondgaming event is automatically initiated only when the outcome associatedwith the first outcome is not a preferred outcome.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, wherein a preferred outcome is an outcome with an awardassociated with the outcome.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein displayingthe outcome symbols comprises displaying symbols on a plurality of gamereels.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein displaying the outcome symbolswhen the outcome associated with the first gaming event is a preferredoutcome includes stopping the game reels sequentially.
 9. The method ofclaim 7, wherein displaying the outcome symbols when the outcomeassociated with the first gaming event is not a preferred outcomeincludes stopping the game reels substantially simultaneously.